Ouran Host Club-for Ladies and Gentlemen? AN OHSHC EDITORIAL
by AdoribiliusKermode
Summary: The manga and anime series has been beloved by fan on both sides of the Pacific for decades-but exactly how exclusive is this anime to the fairer sex?


The Ouran High School Host Club has long been aimed at women. It's a bishonen reverse harem, with male on male homoerotic elements that seem to appeal to women. The story centers around an average-looking girl who has gained a scholarship to an exclusive school for the super rich, which rich children around the world attend. There, she has a run-in with the creme-de-la-creme of the school-the students held in highest regard within the four walls. These students form an all-male group that specializes in the entertainment of female high school students in the school-the Ouran High School Host Club. I'm sure many of you reading this know the stories, and, all told, realize this-this tale is not a story for men.

The idea behind Host Clubs are nothing new. Their roots go back to the traditions of _geshia_ in feudal Japan. After World War Two, the new middle class in japan formed a booming entertainment-service industry, where the salaryman, wanting the demure servitude of the _geisha_, but desiring a more modern european feel, created the idea of this new industry. Examples of the entertainment-service industry includes Maid-cafes, prostitution rings, and Hostess bars, a modern form of _geisha. _The rising level of women in the workplace inspired the idea of a Host bar as early as 1966. More and more of these sprang into view, especially during the economic boom of the eighties. However, these host bars were seen as exclusively Japanese, and the entire industry was _de facto_ closed off to foreigners. While these clubs may seem glamorous to women, they take a toll on the men who go there, as seen in the award winning documentary _The Eternal Room Of Happiness_. In 2002, Bisco Hatori, a mangaka who had won acclaim for several of her mangas, began a new title called Ouran High School Host Club, bringing host clubs to the world stage with a virtual novel, an anime, a live action series, and a movie.

In the manga, the story kicks off with Haruhi, a young honor student, who, despite her 'lowly' (read:middle class) background, is accepted to Ouran on grounds of a scholarship. After she breaks an expensive vase, she is forced to dress as a boy and join the club, prompting a decade of adventures across many platforms of media. Eventually, however, she and the main love interest, Tamaki, fall in love and get together. In all, It's an extremely simple love story, a shojo manga that has been compared to _Vampire Knight _and _Fruits Basket _in popularity. However, it can be seen that it's actually a complex manga with many faucets of the characters.

First of all, Haruhi. She's seen as a strong character, a woman with clear goals and expectations for life. Many heroines of the genre, unlike Haruhi, are weak-willed and demure, like the main heroine in _Diabolik Lovers, _who is seen as submissive to her vampire captors. Also, Tamaki is seen as a comical _boke_ (fool), unlike most male love interests, like the serious and brooding Kaname in _Vampire Knight _or the majestic and romantic Tuxedo Mask in _Sailor Moon. _Simply stated, these characters are developed in a way that only can be compared to long-running shonen manga series like _One Piece _and _Naruto_.

"So, what does this have to do with anything?" You ask. "What's your point?". Well, I'd like to propose something. What if the idea of _this particular_ host club appeals to men _just as much as women_? I'd better digress from my current line of thought I've talked about in earlier chapters. Many of the guests are just as attractive as the hosts they fawn over. While they don't have the same type of buxom beauty of _bishojo, _I would be loath to think that they are ugly in any way. Also, the hosts have the chance show their eromanitc prowess over women. It seems to good to be true for a guy.

It goes back to biology. The reason women have a cultural stigma for certain types of men is because women favor men who's genes are the best. Men who are attractive get the most attractive women because women who have the best genes will want a mate with similar, if not more superior, genes. So it only makes sense that women want not only such an attractive mate as a host, but one with the best caste, the highest pedigree both biological and social. So wouldn't joining the host club, being associated with that group, be seen as a biological one up for your offspring, with a chance to cajole with some of the greatest genes in the world?

Another, more blatant reason: anyone who's seen even the first episode of the anime or chapter of the manga knows how the guests treat the hosts. It's worship. You only can compare that reaction to most modern boy bands of today. All men, wether blatant or subtle, have an admiration for men like that, wether they show it by jealousy or esteem. Also, in case you're not completely convinced, remember what Tamaki says about the club? "…It is a playground for the super-rich." All people, guys and girls, have an innate desire for economic and social superiority. So, in review-the top-drawer group of men in the school, all the richest and most highest, some with royal or imperial connections, with the best genes out there wanting you-it seems to good to be try for a guy. The mere association would skyrocket your place in the system, and get any guy tons of action. So come on, guys. Join me. We can start a fanboy revolution here.

And on another note, I predict to see a completely rational and sane argument in the comments section.


End file.
